Virtue of the Month:

LOVE “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”

-Isaiah 41:10

FEBRUARY 2016 St. Helen Catholic School News

Virtue of the Month – LOVE

“For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son. John 3:16

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful

or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing,

but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. -1 Corinthians 13:4-7

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

CSPC Meeting: Thursday, February 4that 6:00 p.m. All are welcome.

HOZA! – Friday, February 5th Presentation on Social Justice.

Report Cards – Tuesday, February 9th being sent home.

Pancake Tuesday – Tuesday, February 9th. Pancakes for everyone! Ash Wednesday Mass – Please join us at St. Helen Church for

Mass on Wednesday, February 10th at 1:00 p.m. All are welcome.

Red & Pink Day/Valentine’s Dance – Thursday, February 11th. Students are

encouraged to wear red, pink or white for our Valentine’s Day festivities. $2.00.

Parent Teacher Interviews– Thurs., Feb. 11th and Fri., Feb. 12th.

Pizza Lunch – CSPC pizza lunch is on February 11th & 26th.

** P.A. Day – Friday, February 12th – No school for students**

Family Day – Monday, February 15th. No school for students.

Family Technology & Math Night – February 23th from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Jump Rope for Heart Kick-Off Assembly – Tues, February 23rd at 2:00 p.m.

LUNCH LADY – Wednesdays in February.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR UPDATED SCHOOL WEBSITE AT: www.tcdsb.org/schools/sthelen including school newsletters and calendars.

…that together you may with ONE VOICE glorify the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ. Romans 15:6

St. Helen Catholic School 1196 College Street,

Toronto Ontario, M6H 1B8 Telephone: 416-393-5208 Fax: 416-397-6142

Principal:

Alise Sanborn

Vice-Principal: Michael Bethke

Superintendent: Dr. Jim Saraco

Trustee:

Barbara Poplawski

Parish: Father John Cabral

St. Helen Roman Catholic Church 1680 Dundas Street

Toronto, Ontario M6H 3M8

Phone 416-531-8188

Hours of Operation: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm

Lunch Hour: 11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Family, School, Parish

Together with One Voice

Year of the Family

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY IS LOVE

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH We encourage our students to demonstrate the monthly virtues. Students will be recognized with certificates on the wall in the office and with a certificate to take home. The virtue of LOVE for February and COURAGE for January students will be posted next month. Congratulations to the students of the month for the Virtues!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY February 2nd - What is Groundhog Day? The groundhog is said to come out of its hole at the end of

hibernation. If the animal sees its shadow— it is said to predict six more weeks of winter weather!!

ROSARY BRACELET CLUB “Beading Buds” is visiting St. Helen School for a special Rosary Bracelet Making Workshop to those students who pre-registered. Students have been making these special glass pearl or crystal rosaries with a cross during their lunch on Tuesdays in February.

TEDDY BEAR RAFFLE Meet Mr. Sunshine. He is a brand new big cuddly bear who needs a new home. Win him for yourself or give him away as a wonderful Valentine’s

day gift. Each raffle ticket will cost 25cents. The money raised will go towards life skills programming for the ME class. The students will be involved in organizing this draw. The draw will be held on February 11 at the end of the day. You can purchase tickets from Monday February 8, 2016 to Thursday February 11, 2016. Thank you for your support in advance.

The Council meets regularly and encourages the attendance of all community stakeholders. Please join us at our monthly scheduled CSPC meetings on February 4th, April 6th, May 4th and June 1st at 6:00 p.m. We encourage your involvement.

HOZA PRESENTATION – February 5th We welcome back to St. Helen

HOZA! Creative Mediation performing arts company. “Hoza” is an African word that means “stop, start or change”. The presentation focuses on helping to put a STOP to negative thinking and behaviours, and to facilitate CHANGE that is needed to START living in a more socially just world.

PANCAKE TUESDAY - Tuesday, February 9th, 2016. Pancakes for Everyone!! If you are able to volunteer an hour of your time on Pancake Tuesday, please contact the office.

RED AND PINK DAY & VALENTINE’S DAY DANCE - Thursday, February 11th.

Thank you to our ME to WE student leaders who are organizing our Valentine’s Day Dance. Students are asked to bring in $2.00 and are encouraged to wear red, pink or white for our Valentine’s Day Dance. All proceeds raised will be used to provide clean drinking water for families in Haiti. Thank you for your continued support.

CSPC PIZZA LUNCHES – Feb. 11th & Feb. 26th Volunteers are greatly needed to assist with these hot lunches. If you are able to volunteer an hour of your time on pizza days, please fill in a volunteer form available in the office and someone will contact you.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES Will take place on the

evening of Thursday, February 11th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. and on Friday, February 12th from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Forms were sent home the last week of January to book an appointment.

HAPPY FAMILY DAY – Monday, February 15th We hope that everyone enjoys this holiday spending quality time with their families!

JUNIOR W5H Good Luck to all the students who are representing St. Helen School and participating in our extra- curricular Jr.

W5H tournament. Good luck everyone!!

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART KICK OFF ASSEMBLY – Tuesday,

February 23rd at 2:00 p.m. Supporting kids' health for more than 30 years, Heart and Stroke Jump Rope for Heart encourages kids to get active by skipping rope while they collect pledges for heart disease and stroke research. The program gives children the chance to jump and play alongside 750,000 other kids in more than 4,000 schools across Canada.

FAMILY TECHNOLOGY & MATH NIGHT – February 23rd from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Hosted by St. Helen School & Catholic School Parent Council. The evening will address Internet and Social Media Safety with our guest speaker, Mr. Steve Chapelle. Following the presentation will be break-out sessions exploring technology, educational websites and how technology can assist with math learning. Registration forms were sent home and are available in the office. This workshop is funded through the Parent Reaching Out Grant that was made possible by the Ontario Ministry of Education.

LUNCH LADY - WEEKLY Lunch Lady is very excited to be serving our students weekly pre-ordered hot lunches for the

2015-2016 school year. If you have any questions email/call anthony@thelunchlady.ca 647-436-9134.

SECOND IMMUNIZATION CLINIC

Toronto Public Health will be coming to our school on February 26th for the second immunization clinic for the Grade 7 & 8 students. If you still require a consent package please visit www.toronto.ca/health.

MPP CRISTINA MARTINS’ 2ND ANNUAL FAMILY FUN SKATE You and your family are invited to join local MPP Cristina Martin for warm refreshments and treats during her annual Family Fun Skate at McCormick Arena on February 21st from 2-4 p.m.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION FOR SEPTEMBER 2016 Families with children born in

2012 are invited to apply online for Kindergarten beginning on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Parents can complete their application via the Board’s updated Online Registration Website: http://soar.tcdsb.org.

WINTER WEATHER Students are sent outside for recess unless it is extremely cold. Please make sure your children are dressed appropriately. Please ensure that they have winter coats, boots, hats, gloves, scarves and indoor shoes. A suggestion for younger children – please send an extra pair of socks, gym clothes, etc. in the event that your child requires a change of clothes. Due to unforeseen ice conditions in our school yard, we will occasionally have indoor recess. A staggered approach to recess has been implemented in order for students to get some fresh air and exercise while minimizing accidents.

INCLEMENT WEATHER Reporting of cancellations or closures due to inclement weather. Winter weather arrived early this year. Please note that any cancellations or closures due to inclement weather will be reported before 7 a.m. Best place to get the info quickly is through Twitter @TCDSB (please follow us), the board’s website www.tcdsb.org and the 24-hour telephone information line 416-222-8282 ext. 2873.

CLASSROOM ACCESS A reminder that students are not allowed to have access to classrooms

once supervision is over at 3:45 p.m. Classroom doors are locked at 3:45 p.m. and students are not to wander the halls without school staff supervision. Students are to pack bags and bring all necessary items to go home with them.

ADMINISTERING OF MEDICATION Please be advised that a student is only allowed to take medication with the “Request and Consent for the Administration of Oral Medication” TCDSB forms approved and signed by the prescribing doctor. These forms are printed by the office. Once these forms are completed and handed into the office, along with the medication, the child will be allowed to self-administer the medication while administration supervises. The child needs to be taught at home how to take the medication while under supervision. No staff member is allowed to administer medication. All medication is to be kept in the office at all times. Please note that without any doctor authorized TCDSB forms, no medication can be administered.

BIRTHDAYS Birthdays are announced over the P.A. and children are invited to the office to choose a small

token in celebration. Sending something for your child’s birthday for the class is not necessary; however, if you wish to do so, we encourage non-food items (e.g., pencils, erasers, stickers, etc.). With caution, any food treat to be shared from home must be pre-approved by the teacher and must be certified peanut-free by the manufacturer.

PEDICULOSIS – HEAD LICE TIPS FOR TREATMENT & PREVENTION Please read the following information for facts and tips regarding Pediculosis. The most obvious sign of head lice is scratching. PREVENTION

To stop the spread of lice, we ask that you monitor and check your child’s head periodically.

A tip to prevent lice from spreading on girls’ hair is for girls to wear their hair up in a bun, a ponytail or a braid. Hair spray on the braid or ponytail is a common tip.

Rinsing with vinegar after washing your child’s hair is another common tip.

TREATMENT

To check your child’s head, part the hair in sections and look for small grey or brown insects, slightly larger than a pin-head. Lice lay tiny silvery white eggs called nits. Nits can be found over the entire head but are most common behind the ears and in the nape of the neck. They stick to the hair shaft.

If your child has head lice, please make sure that the office is aware so that a notice can be sent home to the other classmates to have their parents check their hair. Rest assured, the student’s name will always remain anonymous.

Treat your child with a special medicated shampoo or rinse that is made just for lice. It is available at most drug stores.

Once treated, remove the nits using the special comb that is included in the kit daily over several weeks.

The child should be treated and free of head lice before returning to school.

IN MARCH

March Break – March 14-18, 2016

GUIDANCE CORNER –

Mr. F. Amato

High School Applications – What’s

Next? During the week of February 8th, 2016, TCDSB

Secondary Schools will begin to forward acceptance

packages to the elementary schools. They will not all

arrive on the same date, so it is important not to panic

if your child does not come home with package on

February 8th. Once you receive your acceptance

package, please read the instructions very carefully and

take note of any important dates and forms that need to

be submitted.

Most secondary schools require that the classroom

teacher or principal sign the course selection sheets.

Try to remember that grade 8 teachers are extremely busy

and may require time to complete forms for your child.

Please be respectful of this and submit your requests

early, thereby giving the teachers enough notice.

What if my child did not get into their first choice?

Students who were redirected to an alternate school

because they’re choice(s) were oversubscribed, can do

one of three things:

1. Accept the redirection, thereby securing

themselves a spot in a secondary school in

September.

2. Accept the redirection but ask to be placed on a

Priority 2 waiting list at their original school of

choice. This student will have a spot in the

redirected school in September and if a spot

becomes available in his/her first choice, s/he

may be offered that position.

3. Turn down the redirection and be placed on a

Priority 1 waiting list at their original school of

choice. If this option is chosen, then your child

will not have a spot in any school for the time

being. If spots do not become available in their

first choice school by the start of the year, then

the student will have to register at a school

where spots may still be available.

Change Your Mind?

If you no longer want your child to attend the ‘first

choice’ school, you may request a change of school using

the Change Form. This form becomes available in the

beginning of March. Please ask your child’s teacher for

a form at that time. Please keep in mind that any requests

can only be accepted based on the availability of space in

the school NEWS FROM THE BOARD

New PA Day Added to Calendar The Board has approved Friday, April 15, 2016 as a

system-wide Professional Activity Day.

https://www.tcdsb.org/school/SchoolYearCalendar/Pages

/Default.aspx

Director’s Annual Report Check out all the highlights from 2014-2015

https://indd.adobe.com/view/b932c3a2-fa2f-4472-bb8b-

5a46fbaf8c80

Multi-Year Strategic Plan Welcome to your opportunity to provide direct input as

the Board refines its strategic directions to produce a

revised Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) that will

guide the organization for the next several years. All

TCDSB stakeholders are invited to complete the online

survey and submit their personal comments regarding the

DRAFT MYSP by no later than February 1st. Get all

the information here:

https://www.tcdsb.org/board/mysp/pages/2016-mysp-

consultation.aspx Remember to follow @TCDSB on Twitter for all the latest news and important information throughout the year.

Please contact the school if you would like to advertise in this publication.